2

EUREKA -A PROVEN SUCCESS

EUREKA was launched in 1985 to help Europe's techno­

logically oriented companies break down the barriers

preventing them from working together in research and

development. At the time, the argument driving this aim

- the globalisation of the world's economy - was new.

EUREKA's working methods, its decentralised structure

and 'bottom-up' project concept, were just as novel.

Just over a decade later, of course, the effects of global­

isation is widely understood. The positive impact of

EUREKA in addressing these effects is equally recognised.

The EUREKA Project Portfolio By December 1996, EUREKA's project portfolio- described

in detail in the following pages - reached 666 running

projects, worth a total estimated cost of around 10.5 bil­

lion ECU . Between them these projects involve some

3200 participants, of which around 1000 are large com­

panies, some 1200 small and medium sized companies,

more than 800 research institutions (including universities)

and about 150 other organisations.

This report also gives a statistical overview of the more

than 430 EUREKA projects which have already finished.

The cost of these projects is estimated at 6 billion ECU,

bringing the total cost of ongoing and finished projects

to over 16 billion ECU. Nine of the finished projects are

also described in this report.

The EUREKA advantage " Bottom up" is EUREKA's ground rule. This approach pro­

vides participants with the opportunity to launch European

R&D projects according to their own needs and on their

own initiative, with a minimum of bureaucracy and a

maximum of control and flexibility. This principle leaves

the participants full responsibility for defining and imple­

menting their project and ensures that all EUREKA projects

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

are motivated by sound commercial and technological

interests.

EUREKA's structure is built to mobilise the dynamism and

innovative strength in Europe's industry and research.

The ground rule prevents unnecessary bureaucracy and

provides a simple set of criteria for establishing EUREKA

projects. The most important of these criteria require the

project to:

include independent partners from at least two

different EUREKA Members;

be innovative in its sector;

result in a marketable product, process or service;

- be aimed at the civilian sector.

Any company or research institute in a EUREKA member

country, which has a proposal meeting the EUREKA

project criteria, is invited to contact the relevant National

Project Coordinator (NPC). The application procedure to

establish or join a EUREKA project is very simple and is

constructed in such a way that a well founded project

can be up and running relatively quickly.

EUREKA: A Flexible and Decentralised Structure

Members

EUREKA was launched in the mid-1980s with 17 Mem­

bers. Since then it has expanded in all directions of the

compass, reaching Iceland, Turkey and, particularly sev­

eral countries of Central and Eastern Europe, bringing

the total number of EUREKA Members to 25.

EUREKA's Members are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,

Iceland, Ireland , Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain,

Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the

European Union.

In addition, projects involving participants from non­

member countries continue to grow in number. This is

particularly the case in countries where EUREKA National

Information Points (see below) have been established.

The EUREKA Chairmanship and

Ministerial Conference

The Chairmanship of EUREKA rotates on a yearly basis

between the Members. The Chair is the main initiator

and organiser of EUREKA activities and events. At the

end of its term, each chairmanship hosts the Ministerial

Conference.

The Ministerial Conference is the political body of EUREKA

and the Initiative's highest authority. It is composed of

Ministers from the 24 member countries and a Commis­

sioner from the European Commission . It meets to lay

down the political guidelines and officially announces

the new EUREKA projects launched since its previous

meeting.

High Level Group (HLG)

Each EUREKA Member appoints a High Representative

to the HLG. It formulates general EUREKA policy for

approval by the Ministerial Conference and generally

meets three or four times a year. The HLG also endorses

new EUREKA projects.

National Project Coordinators (NPCs)

The N PCs are the operational core of the network. They

run the national EUREKA offices and form the interface

between project participants and the EUREKA network.

They are in close contact with the relevant national fund­

ing authorities as well as with their counterparts in the

other EUREKA countries. The NPCs can assist participants

in their search for additional partners and offer help in

the actual setting up of a project. The NPC addresses are

listed on pages 24-25 of this report.

National Information Points (NIPs)

In most European non-member countries a network of

EUREKA National Information Points has been set up to

provide industry and research institutes in these countries

with an easy interface to EUREKA and facilitate participa­

tion of their industry and research organisations in EUREKA

projects. The NIP addresses are listed on page 26 of this

report.

EUREKA Secretariat

The Secretariat is EUREKA's central support unit located

in Brussels. It gathers and distributes information on

projects and EUREKA as such, runs the project database,

assists the various bodies of the Initiative and promotes

the EUREKA concept in conjunction with national author­

ities. An overview of its publications and information on

the EUREKA database are given on page 27 of this report.

EUREKA: Added Value EUREKA projects and participants are eligible to carry the

EUREKA Seal - an internationally recognised hallmark of

excellence. Surveys consistently demonstrate that project

participants value the impact the EUREKA label has on

their image as a hi-tech, internationally oriented organ­

isation .

EUREKA projects also have, in many cases, access to

public financial backing from their national governments

and the European Union, although the participants them­

selves are responsible for securing adequate funding.

Participants are included in EUREKA's project database,

which lists by name and technological skills some 4000 of

Europe's foremost companies and research institutes.

Various national and European publications, as well as

the participation at fairs and conferences, are only some

of the tools used to promote EUREKA projects. As such,

a EUREKA participant is marketed all over Europe and is

likely to attract attention and contacts from partners

searching for specific technological skills to develop new

products, processes or services.

Furthermore, EUREKA offers its projects various kinds of

support in a wide variety of areas such as standardisation,

contracts, venture capital etc.

AN N U A L R EP OR T 1996

3

EUREKA IN 1996

4

1996 was a year of consolidation for EUREKA, with

another strong crop of new projects, a busy calendar of

Brokerage Events and a number of new tools produced to

help project participants.

The 1996 meeting of the Ministerial Conference in Brussels

announced 156 new projects and 4 new umbrellas, mak­

ing 1996 the fourth successive year where the number of

new projects was well over the 100 mark. With another

170 new participants also joining ongoing projects this

brought the EUREKA portfolio to 700 ongoing projects

by June 1996 (see 'Project Overview, 1996, page 12).

These projects are worth a total of over 11,000 MECU

and involve more than 2,300 companies and 1,000

research institutes and other organisations. In addition, a

record number of 122 projects finished last June, bring­

ing the total number of finished projects to 360. Finally,

another 60 projects were endorsed during the second

half of the year.

SMEs account for over 40% of the participants in the

new projects, so it is not surprising that the average cost

of these projects - not including the two new 'strategic'

projects (MEDEA and COMMEND)- is around 3.5 MECU.

Nevertheless. this is significantly higher than the average

cost of the projects announced by the M inisterial Confer­

ence in Interlaken (Switzerland) in 1995, possibly indicat­

ing an upturn in company investments in R&D as Europe

lifts out of recession.

New Um bre llas

Umbrellas continued to prove their dynamism in generat­

ing projects throughout 1996, accounting for over one

quarter (44) of the new projects. In addition, the Minis­

terial Conference announced four new umbrellas:

• MULTIMEDIA: bringing together the many different

sorts of organisations required to create multimedia,

focusing on stimulating projects in the fields of multi­

media equipment. software, platforms and applications;

• FACTORY: reflecting the new priorities of manufacturing

industry in the late 1990s, particularly the integration

of hi-tech manufacturing with human resources;

• WOOD Initiative: encouraging international coopera­

tion and R&D in Europe's wood industry;

A NN UA L R E POR T 19 96

• CARE: created from a project launched the year before,

this umbrella aims to encourage recyclability and re-use

in hi-tech products, processes, systems and services.

Brokerage Events

the latter three umbrellas all held their first Brokerage

Events last year. 1996, in fact, saw a total of nine Broker­

age Events in countries ranging from Iceland to Romania.

Between them they covered a wide variety of subjects,

including:

• Oil and gas sector (United Kingdom): over 20 different

project ideas resulted in the fields of exploration tech­

niques. drilling operations, and exploiting deepwater

and difficult fields;

• Wood engineering (Switzerland): new proposals

included, among others, advanced wood processing

robots, a five-storey timber frame house and a model

for automating the kiln drying process;

• Romanian partnerships (Romania) : a two-day event

was held to stimulate new projects involving Romanian

companies and research institutes, focusing on energy

and the environment, biotechnology and agrifood, and

computer science and automation ;

• Food technologies (Iceland): topics ranged from qual­

ity issues to environmental aspects. Almost half of the

45 ideas discussed at the meeting were identified dur­

ing the follow-up phase as being particularly solid;

• Manufacturing industry (Germany): the first event held

under the FACTORY umbrella focused on product

development. advanced manufacturing systems, infor­

mation and communication technologies, business

process improvement, logistics and environmentally

friendly products and production processes;

- -- ----

~ . ~--;-,

• Transport technologies (Poland): TransEast '96 addressed

the 'technology demonstration' opportunities being

provided as new transport networks are developed to

link Western and Eastern Europe. It focused on inter­

modal transport, road safety, road pricing, transport

management, road and rail maintenance, environmen­

tal protection and construction;

• Environmental monitoring (United Kingdom): over 100

delegates from 21 countries discussed data manage­

ment and technologies for monitoring air, water and

solids, generating around 25 new project proposals;

• 'Greening' the electronics industry (Germany): the first

Brokerage Event sponsored by the new CARE umbrella

focused on the market for environmentally sound

electronic products, technological developments,

'benchmarking' instruments (life cycle analysis, eco­

labelling, etc.), training and education issues and more.

• Advanced shipping technology (the Netherlands): new

technologies for ship design, construction and use

were discussed, as were production and maintenance

logistics, new ships for new requirements, improved

safety and communication/navigational systems.

Medium Term Plan

EUREKA's third Medium Term Plan (MTP) was adopted in

1996 to guide the Initiative until the end of the century.

Developed in consultation with industry, notably through

an independent group of 10 industrialists led by Viscount

E. Davignon, the Plan aims to help re-orient the Initiative

to face the challenges posed by increased pressure on

public R&D funding and the globalisation of markets.

The new Plan identifies seven key issues:

• Improving EUREKA's Attractiveness and Pro;ect Quality:

Consistent, systematic project evaluation will help

identify key factors for project success and innovation,

which will then be disseminated as widely as possible.

Projects will be supported through a range of services

such as partner search, assistance with patents, legal

issues and funding access.

• Initiating Strategic Pro;ects: EUREKA is ideally placed to

foster strategic collaborations such as JESSI and MEDEA

(see 'Project Overview', page 12). The Initiative will

therefore develop a dialogue between European indus­

try, science, governments and the European Union

(EU) to identify the areas requiring focused European

initiatives and the conditions necessary for their imple­

mentation. Better coordination of the financial support

from governments, financial institutions and the EU is

a key aim.

• Improving Funding Possibilities: The MTP re-affirms

that the Members' R&D funding authorities will con­

tinue to give project proposals high priority. They will

also continue their efforts to improve the synchronisa­

tion of public funding, to encourage banks and finan­

cial institutions to support EUREKA projects, and to

improve access to risk capital.

• Enhancing Synergy between EUREKA, the EU and other

European R&D Frameworks: EUREKA should remain

the principal vehicle for supporting 'near market' R&D

activities, with funding appearing from the EU wherever

projects meet the EU's selection criteria. When the EU

identifies new thematic priorities, EUREKA could provide

the framework within which business and industry can

define and implement relevant projects.

• Central and Eastern Europe: Projects involving organ­

isations from Central and Eastern Europe should be

supported to further integrate EUREKA's new Members

from the region, while the effectiveness of the network

of National Information Points (NIPs) will be reviewed .

• EUREKA and Worldwide Cooperation: EUREKA's

mechanisms will be examined to see whether increased

flexibility regarding participation from outside Europe is

warranted, while links with initiatives simi lar to EUREKA

around the world will be strengthened.

• Better Dialogue Across Europe: The MTP's final point

is to ensure that industry, research institutes, financial

institutions and other organisations involved in innova­

tion consider EUREKA to be the preferred framework

for industry-led, transborder cooperative R&D projects.

This will mean improving awareness of EUREKA's

value, developing information flows between the Initia­

tive and other national and European offices involved

in coordinating R&D and innovation, and promoting

the EUREKA label as a sign of quality.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

5

6

On the other hand, EUREKA must listen to European

industry's point of view of how the economic and regu­

latory framework can be made more conducive to inno­

vation and collaboration. The MTP therefore concludes

by asking EUREKA to examine whether additional mech­

anisms are required to improve the dialogue between it

and European industry.

M arket Impact Analys is

Reflecting the priorities established in EUREKA's new

Medium Term Plan, the 1995-1996 Belgian EUREKA

Chair piloted a new method for evaluating the Initiative's

impact on European industry. The new system builds on

an improved Final Report which each project participant

fills in when their project is completed. Under the new

system, the industrial project participants also receive a

two-page 'Market Impact Report' one, three and five

years after their project is finished in order to assess the

actual impact of the product or process on the market.

Assuming this exercise is carried out every year, this will

allow EUREKA to measure its impact consistently over

the years for the first time, as specified in the Medium

Term Plan . The results will help EUREKA 'fine-tune' its

activities, deepen its understanding of European RTD and

improve the accuracy of the EUREKA database. An Annual

Impact Report will, each year, provide a synthesis of the

results obtained by the EUREKA participants.

Communi cation Products

One of the central elements of the Belgian EUREKA Chair's

work programme was to make information on EUREKA

easier to access and use. The EUREKA WWW site

(at http:/ /www.eureka.bel), designed and implemented

by the Belgian EUREKA Chair, improves the accessibility

of the project database enormously and realises that aim.

Users can search for projects by specifying project num­

ber or acronym, a 'Member/Technological Area profile'

(e.g., find all Transport projects led by a French organisa­

tion with Spanish partners), the project's contact infor­

mation and keywords. A fifth option allows users to

search the database, using criteria such as keywords and

Member, for all projects interested in new partners.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

Apart from the database users can also access additional

services. These were developed by the EUREKA Secretariat

and include Frequently Asked Questions, files on each

EUREKA Member and material culled from paper publica­

tions (EUREKA News, the Annual Report, Project Promo­

tion Sheets, press releases, etc.). All of this additional

material pertaining to projects is fully integrated with the

database, allowing users to search the database for pro­

jects of interest and then access any journalistic material

placed on the WWW site.

In late 1996, a Communication Working Group, chaired

by the EUREKA Secretariat, was set up to develop a more

structured approach to the promotion of EUREKA. Based

on market analysis and other input from the Members, a

coherent. overall communication strategy for the EUREKA

network will be developed and implemented during 1997.

Th e EUREKA Toolbox

The quarterly newsletter EUREKA News was also

relaunched, as were the Project Promotion Sheets, which

are now written as each project nears completion. Prob­

ably the most important new publication, however, was

a relaunched 'EUREKA Toolbox' .

The original toolbox was a set of seven independent

guides aimed at helping project participants manage their

collaborative R&D. The Belgian EUREKA Chair added two

new booklets and a CD-ROM and, with the EUREKA

Secretariat. updated and republished the entire series in a

new format. The result is an integrated library for man­

aging EUREKA projects.

The guides added in 1996 are 'Legal Forms of Collabora­

tion', which briefly describes and illustrates the principal

legally-recognised forms of industrial cooperation, and

'Key Factors for Success'. The latter guide is the result of

a study which interpreted project management techniques

from existing literature, applied them to the conditions

found in EUREKA projects and then combined this with

the results of project evaluations. It is supplemented by a

multimedia CD-ROM featuring interviews and profiles of

twelve successful projects which between them illustrate

the seven Factors for Success.

STATEMENT FROM MR IAN TAYLOR, UK MINISTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLGY

As the first country charged with implementing the third

Medium Term Plan , the United Kingdom is conscious of

the responsibility placed upon it to ensure that EUREKA

continues to meet the requirements of European industry.

The service which EUREKA provides to its major custom­

ers has to be speedy and efficient to enable industry to

respond to the quickening pace of technological change.

To ensure that the Network continues to meet its custom­

ers' needs, the UK has inititated a major review of its

operating procedures and activities. When it is complete

we do not expect to have to make any radical changes

to the functioning of EUREKA, rather we hope to ensure

that the Network remains non-bureaucratic and becomes

more efficient.

One of the observations of last year's Davignon Group

report was that there should be greater clarification and

cooperation between the various European R&D frame­

works. Among key issues which the UK will seek to

address is the relationship between EUREKA and the

European Union 's Framework Programme. With prepara­

tions for the Fifth Framework underway, it was felt that

the time was right for EUREKA to put forward its views as

to how the existing synergy between the two frameworks

might be enhanced. The key factors for ensuring that

this happens must be greater communication between

the two initiatives. along with making it easier to set up

projects. large or small, which contain elements poten­

tially eligible for support by both .

Another theme which we will seek to develop is Global­

isation. European businesses recognise that to be success­

ful they must collaborate with the best partners wherever

they are based. EUREKA has a part to play in ensuring

that companies can harness the technology they need to

maintain their competitiveness.

Mr /an Taylor. UK Minirter for Science and Technology

Traditionally, EUREKA has regarded collaboration with

non-European countries to be the exception rather than

the rule. During the UK Year. we will initiate an examina­

tion of the EUREKA rules in this area to see whether ben­

eficial changes can be made.

The globalisation theme also extends to the countries of

Central and Eastern Europe. Those that have already

attained full membership have quickly demonstrated that

they can make a positive contribution to EUREKA.

To help draw remaining NIP countries towards greater co­

operation with the Network, the UK intends to provide

them with practical help and assistance and to conduct a

review to make sure the NIP network is as effective as

possible.

In considering all of the above, the UK will not neglect

the central area of EUREKA's operation, project creation.

EUREKA has a deserved reputation for the quality of its

projects which are delivering advanced products and pro­

cesses for world markets. We are determined to maintain

that quality status. At the same time, we will be discuss­

ing how EUREKA might catalyse more projects of strate­

gic significance for Europe. These projects will have to be

consistent with the "bottom-up" principle but there is a

role for Governments to provide the necessary support

during their formation .

In total, a very busy programme for our Chairmanship,

but one which the United Kingdom believes it should

undertake if EUREKA is to maintain its position as Europe's

premier initiative for cross-border collaboration in near­

market R&D.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

7

MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES

ONGOING AND FINISHED PROJECTS 539 (OVER 5 YEARS) TAMPERE 1992

46

• TOTAL NUMBER OF ONGOING PROJECTS 675

PARIS 1993 • TOTAL NUMBER OF FINISHED PROJECTS

95

654 LILLEHAMMER 1994

184

720 INTERLAKEN 1995

242

700 BRUSSELS 1996

364

NUMBER OF ONGOING PROJECTS BY AREA BIO 122

TOTAL: 666 COM 20

ENE 30

ENV 155

INF 116

LAS 17

MAT 72

ROB 93

TRA 41

COST OF ONGOING PROJECTS BY AREA BIO 531

Total: 10297 MECU COM 427

ENE 169

Abbreviat ions used in this report:

BIO Medical and Biotechnology ENV 648

COM Communication Technology

ENE Energy Technology INF 7180

ENV Environment Technology

INF Information Technology LAS 165

LAS Laser Technology

MAT Material Technology MAT 148 • ROB Robotics and Production Automation

TRA Transport Technology ROB 535

Source of data in this report :

EUREKA database, 18 December 1996 TRA 494

ANNUAL REPORT 19 96

8

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MEMBER

AUSTRIA

BELGIUM

CZECH REPUBLIC

DENMARK

FINLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY

GREECE

HUNGARY

ICELAND

IRELAND

ITALY

LUXEMBOURG

THE NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

POLAND

PORTUGAL

RUSSIA

SLOVENIA

SPAIN

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND

TURKEY

UNITED KINGDOM

EUROPEAN UNION

NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES

TOTAL

NUMBER OF ORGANISATIONS INDUSTRY RESEARCH INST GOVT/ TOTAL

of w hich of w hich ADMIN all SME all Univ.

~ 87 58 38 23 8 133

85 48 27 17 1 113

19 16 12 5 - 31

83 49 22 10 5 110

94 48 25 10 5 124

369 184 110 32 14 493

290 136 125 54 9 424

11 7 13 9 1 25

18 12 25 11 3 46

9 9 1 - 1 11

10 7 6 6 - 16

129 28 36 10 4 169

1 - - - - 1

189 110 49 25 8 246

71 40 18 4 10 99

5 3 20 7 2 27

33 17 28 9 12 73

18 10 20 2 - 38

12 8 13 4 1 26

143 89 45 19 11 199

130 78 29 11 10 169

141 98 83 40 6 230

11 4 9 7 2 22

215 103 73 48 19 307

- - 4 - 1 5

13 4 18 10 - 31

2186 1166 849 373 133 3168

ANNUA L REPORT 1996

9

DURATION AND COST IN ONGOING PROJECTS

NUMBER OF PROJECTS

BY PLANNED DURATION AND

TECHNOLOGICAL AREA

PROJECT DURATION (PD) in months

PD <= 24

24 < PD <= 48

48 < PD <= 72

PD >72

NUMBER OF PROJECTS BY FINANCIAL

SIZE AND TECHNOLOGICAL AREA

PROJECT COST (PC) in MECU

PC <= 1

1 < PC <= 2

2 < PC <= 3

3 < PC <= 4

4 < PC <= 5

5 < PC <= 10

10 < PC <= 20

20 < PC <= 40

PC > 40

BIO

Total

137 10

342 72

134 26

53 14

666 122

Total

187 39

151 25

75 15

50 14

25 2

91 16

44 7

21 2

22 2

666 122

A NN UAL REPOR T 1996

10

COM ENE

8 8

8 17

2 4

2 1

20 30

3 12

5 3

4 3

4 7

2

3

2

20 30

, /_)

~ r ENV INF LAS MAT ROB TRA

27 28 3 22 23 8

74 61 7 32 51 20

43 19 3 15 12 10

11 8 4 3 7 3

155 116 17 72 93 41

52 23 5 23 23 7

37 14 5 29 21 12

17 11 7 14 3

12 12 3 5 3

6 5 2 8 2

16 19 4 8 11 6

10 13 7 3

3 10 1 2

2 9 3 3

155 116 17 72 93 41

FINISHED PROJECTS

As EUREKA entered its "main phase" a few years ago, the In more and more cases, in fact. participants in finished

number of finished EUREKA projects accelerated dramati- projects are launching new ones to expand their horizons

cally. 1996 was no exception - by December 1996, there further.

were 431 finished projects, of which 142 were completed

during the preceding twelve months. The total cost of

these 431 projects now amounts to 6 billion ECU.

One of the most significant of EUREKA's achievements,

therefore, is the intangible yet important web of net­

works and relationships established between companies,

While each finished project represents the end of one research institutes and universities in different European

story, it is frequently the beginning of another. The part- countries. In many cases it is the EUREKA network itself

nerships, friendships and business networks established as that provided the 'first contact'. This is a service that is

project partners work together usually live on well after becoming more and more important as small companies,

the new product or service has reached the market place. in particular. join and launch EUREKA projects.

NUMBER OF FINISHED PROJECTS 810 75

TOTAL: 431 COM 25

ENE 23 -ENV 66

INF 66

LAS 9

MAT 44

ROB 90

TRA 33

COST OF FINISHED PROJECTS 810 459

COM 1380

TOTAL: 6021 MECU ENE 385 -ENV 433

INF 1205

LAS 218

MAT 274 -ROB 658

TRA 1009

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

11

PROJECT OVERVIEW, 1996

12

As in previous years, a large proportion of the 156

new projects announced in 1996 fall into four techno ­

logical areas : Information Technology (31 projects) ,

Medical and Biotechnology (28 projects) , Robotics

and Product ion Automation and Environmental Tech­

nology (26 projects each).

ANNUAL REPORT 19 9 6

Medical and Biotechnology

Most of the new projects in this area focus

on either agricultural or medical applications,

although some agricu ltu ral projects are driven by human

health considerations. The EUROAGRI umbrella, as in

previous years, has contributed significantly - this year

there are ten new projects under this umbrella. Between

them, these projects illustrate the diversity of the sector,

and involve the development of a hi-tech, environmen­

ta lly friend ly trout farm, improved processes for producing

healthier eggs and meat, and new industrial strains of

yeast for frozen dough products.

On the medical side, the single large project is GENEPREP

(EU 1466), a 3-year, 16 MECU effort aiming to develop

new DNA production and purification processes for gene

therapy. Other medical subjects addressed include new

methods fo r planning crania-maxillo-facial surgery, artifi­

cial legs and pathology management systems involving

advanced telematics for the healthcare sector.

Communication Technology

The seven new Communication Technology

projects, as is typical of the sector, cost more

than the average project. The largest is SIGMA-1

(EU 1529), a 17.5 MECU project developing manufactur­

ing processes for bui lding silicon-germanium chips for

mobile communication applications.

Other projects cover digital broadcasting, international

payment systems, parallel computing and improved fax

servers.

Energy Technology

The eight Energy projects are split roughly

equally between energy production (wave

energy, hydrocarbon prospecting and coal waste) and

energy management. The largest project in this area is

MOBIT (EU 1485), a 21-partner, 7 MECU effort which

aims to develop a wide range of modular products for

the construction and bui lding rehabilitation industry,

including multi-house heating systems and passive and

active solar energy.

Environmental Technology

Of th is year's 26 new Environment projects.

eight were generated by the EUROENVIRON

umbrella, including most of the large ones. These include

ELLCA-PREPARE (EU 1312), a 34 MECU , 7 country

project examining Life Cycle Assessment for complex

products. HYDROSLUDGE (EU 1501), which aims to

install pilot sewage waste treatment plants in several

countries and SILENTPORTS (EU 1514), aiming to reduce

noise pollution from ports.

This sector also saw the creation of two new umbrellas

in 1996: WOOD INITIATIVE, which aims to generate

projects in the wood products and processing industries,

and CARE. which will promote projects aimed at improv­

ing the environmental friendliness of electronic products

through the three R's (recovery, recycling and re-use).

The latter umbrella generated two projects in 1996:

• LINK (EU 1272), which is developing software tools,

organisational structures and logistics systems which

allow distribution and waste return systems to be inte­

grated together;

• DISASSEMBLY FACTORY (EU 1592), which aims to build

a disassembly factory for Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs)

and demonstrate how future PCBs can be developed

for easier disassembly.

Another significant project is EUROTRAC-2 (EU 1489),

a 13 MECU, 16 country follow-on to the original EURO­

TRAC project. Like its predecessor, EUROTRAC-2 focuses

on the transport of air pollution. Its principle results will

be a set of tools and models with which the perturbed

atmosphere and its impact on the environment can be

understood.

Other projects include developing methods for recycling

heavy metals from batteries, generating 'greenhouse­

neutral' energy from organic waste, sewage and energy

crops, and reducing the environmental effects of process­

es and products ranging from dairy herds to electronic

components.

Information Technology

The two largest projects launched in 1996 are

both found in the Information Technology (IT)

sector. Both are strategic efforts by European industry to

tackle some of the toughest (and most lucrative) global

markets:

• Microelectronics Development for European Applica­

tions (EU 1535 - MEDEA), a 2 billion ECU effort

designed to turn the technologies developed under the

JESSI project (finished at the end of 1996) into market

share throughout Europe's IT industry. MEDEA, which

began selecting its first subprojects at the end of 1996,

focuses on developing six 'core competences ' in Euro­

pean industry: multimedia and communications tech­

nologies. automobile and traffic applications, design

techniques and libraries. CMOS-based technology plat­

forms. and manufacturing technologies.

• Digital Consumer Multimedia Networks (EU 1549-

COMMEND). Involving most of Europe's consumer

electronics companies, this 200+ MECU project aims to

develop the necessary standards for delivering digital

multimedia applications into the home. The partners are

examining physical networks, communication protocols,

security issues and service standards so that they can

develop applications that work together seamlessly.

This sector also gained the MULTIMEDIA umbrella which

focuses on three general technology standards: Digital

Versatile Disc (DVD), Internet Protocal (TCP/IP) and Digital

Video Broadcast (DVB).

The rest of the IT projects follow the same overall profile

as the rest: well over half are worth less than 5 MECU.

with the remainder costing no more than 20 MECU each.

Trends among the smaller projects include advanced

healthcare systems (ophthalmology, nutrition, dentistry),

simulation and management software packages for manu­

facturing industry and multimedia and internet publishing.

Many of the medium sized projects, on the other hand,

focus on networking technologies and computer hard­

ware. Examples include MATISSE (EU 1424), a 14 MECU

effort aiming to develop an intelligent, high-performance

multimedia data server, REMOD (EU 1505), a 20 MECU,

four year project investigating a new. high density optical

disc with multiple recordable information layers, and

HIGHLANDER (EU 1437). which is designing a radically

new type of videographics chip for consumer PCs, set-top

boxes and intelligent TVs .

ANNUAL REPORT 1996 g 13

14

Laser Technology

The two Laser projects launched in 1996 are

startlingly different, demonstrating how laser

technologies are f inding new appl ications in more and

more fields:

• EUROLASER-PROTAL (EU 1472) is developing an

industrial demonstrator for a new short-pulse laser for

the aerospace and automotive industries. The beam,

carried by optical fibre and with a pulse duration of

some nanoseconds, wi ll be used before and during

the thermal surface preparation of oxidation-sensitive

materials, such as aluminium.

• EUROCARE-SOLON (EU 1541) wil l develop a proto­

type excimer laser system for cleaning paintings.

The method will be demonstrated on a 17th Century

'old master', with the entire process digitally recorded

to provide documentation for future conservation and

art history studies, material for a TV documentary and

proof of the system's effectiveness to the international

art restoration industry.

New Materials

Generally the 19 New Materials projects aim

to improve a material for a specific set of

applications. Several projects are developing new or

improved ceramic materials, with applications including

cutting tools (ceramic nano-composites) , heat insulation

(ceramic fibres) and kitchenware.

Other applications and products which wi ll be improved

include chemical processing (corrosion-resistant glass

fibres), adsorbents (coal process byproducts), batteries

(lead/silver anodes) and protective clothing (hi-tech

fabrics). Other projects focus on improving production

processes for stain less steel, aluminium alloys, thermo­

plastics and superconductors.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

Robotics and Production Automation

Around one third of the 26 new Robotics and

Production Automation projects were gener­

ated by the new FACTORY umbrella, wh ich fol lows on

from the highly successful FAMOS umbrella. FACTORY

expands on FAMOS' theme of f lexible assembly to

encompass wider organisational issues of manufacturing

industry.

For example, FACTORY MANUFUTURING (EU 1522)

represents a 5-year, 30 MECU effort into agile manufac­

turing. The aim is to develop and implement a 'smart'

factory capable of re-arranging its products, processes

and organisational architectures in response to strategic

changes in the market, society and technology.

Most of the other new projects launched under FACTORY

are 5 MECU in size or less. Whi le some examine generic

manufacturing and assembly technologies, others - like

most of the other 19 projects announced in this sector -

focus on improving manufacturing processes. Sectors

include wood processing, integrated circuit manufacturing

and many in between.

Transport Technology

The nine Transport projects includes the third

largest project of 1996- AFS (EU 1403),

a 6-year, 50 MECU project focusing on advanced car

lighting systems. The project aims to improve road safety

by bringing vehicle lighting systems, which have not

changed much in the past 25 years, up to date with

developments in traffic, car design, optical systems and

non-optical sensors.

The other Transport projects are developing new vehicles

(trams, container-handling trucks), vehicle components

(two projects exploit piezo-electricity), driving simulators,

production software, telematics and on-board computing.

HIGH POWER LASERS FOR MATERIAL PROCESSING

EU 205 EUROLASER-EXCIMER

The use of lasers for processing

materials was seen as one of the

most exciting prospects for industry

when the EUREKA initiative was

launched in 1985. As a result, a

EUREKA umbrella, EUROLASER, was

quickly set up to coordinate laser

research and development.

One project, EUROLASER-EXCIMER

(EU 205), aimed to develop high

power excimer lasers and applica­

tions. Excimer lasers are gas-based

devices producing very high energy

light ultraviolet (UV) pulses, rather

than the continuous waves produced

by some other types of laser.

The very short wavelengths, typically

308nm, 248nm and 197nm, allow

precise material processing. The pho­

tons of the beam break down the

molecular bonds of a material hit by

the laser, and the resulting atoms

disperse, instead of staying on the

surface, vibrating and generating

heat. An excimer laser can therefore

remove material without burning it,

making it suitable for drilling mini­

ature holes in microelectronics,

annealing flat film transistors for flat

panel displays, as well as removing

thin layers from plastics.

Upgrading Power

Although 50W devices were already

available at the start of the project in

1987, the target was 1kW systems,

as a more powerful laser can process

material faster and reduces user's

costs. This project was led by Fraun­

hofer-lnstitut fur Angewandte Optik

und Feinmechanik . The partners

included the laser manufacturers

Lambda Physik of Germany, Sopra

and Laserdot of France, and Oxford

Lasers and Exitech of the United

Kingdom.

The 1 kW target was reached in

1993 by Sopra, which produced a

very large XeCI excimer laser aimed at

various applications. Lambda Physics

developed a commercially popular

200 watt excimer laser with out­

standing long time stability and low

running costs; Ultra-stable optical

UV coatings were developed at the

Fraunhofer lnstitut in Jena, Germany.

The systems can drill holes as small

as 1 micron in diameter, or about

one hundredth of the thickness of a

human hair, and can remove material

as thin as 0.1 micron. They are used

widely to drill the 35-40 micron

diameter holes in ink jet printer

heads, and holes in tiny medical

probes. Beams can be positioned

with an accuracy of 1 micron.

The partners have greatly improved

excimer reliability. They can now be

used in industry 24 hours a day,

often under the control of non­

specialists. The cost of a processing

system has been reduced to about

£500,000-£1,000,000.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

EU 205

Acronym: EUROLASER-EXCIMER

Title: High power excimer lasers

Participants: PartiCipants from organisations 1n·

Frat1Ce Germany Greece Hungary Sweden The Netherlands United Kingdom

Main contact: Dr Norbert Ka1ser Fraunhofer-lnstitut fiir Angewandte Opt1k und Fe1nmechanik Tel : +49 3641 807 321 Fax: +49 3641 807 601 E-mail: kaiSer@iof fhg.de

Total cost: 52.8 MECU

Completed: November 1996

15

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING OF ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTORS

EU 265

Acronym: FAMOS-PLANET

Titl e: Production line for automotive new electronic technologies

Partici pants : France: Fabricom Automation I Magneti Marelh France S.A. (Chatellerault) I Magneti Marelli France S.A. (Nanterre) Ireland: Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre, University College Dublin 1111./y: M agneti Marelli SP.A. (Pavia) Portugal.· lnvest1gacao e Desenvolvimento/ Divisao Engenharia Sistemas. Institute de Soldadura e Qual1dade Spain: Magneti Marelli 1 benca I Dep. Tecnologica Fotonica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid Umted Kingdom: Wolfson Image Analysis Unit, Manchester University

Main contact: Dr Enrico Ferratl Divisione Elettronica Magneb Marelli S P.A (Pavia) Tel: +39 382 59 96 73 Fax: +39 382 30 21 89 Telex: 31 28 42 MARAUT I

Total cost: 47 MECU

Completed in: June 1996

0

16

EU 265 FAMOS-PLANET

Electronic units for fuel injection

systems improve automobile engine

efficiency more effectively than elec­

tromechanical systems. Car-makers

were therefore very keen to intro­

duce these electronic systems, which

control fuel delivery and engine igni­

tion, into their models to help satisfy

the EU's anti-pollution laws of 1992.

Hence FAMOS-PLANET (EU 265),

which was launched in 1988 to

develop a new model able to satisfy

the car-makers' needs in terms of

reliability, cost and time to market.

The project was developed by taking

three strategic factors into account:

product/technology integration, job

organisation and decision-making

systems, and market dynamics.

It was led by the Magneti Marelli of

Italy (Fiat group). The partners were

Magneti Marelli companies in France

and Spain, the French assembly

equipment firm Fabricom Automa­

tion , the Advanced Manufacturing

Technology Centre of University

College in Dublin, the University of

Madrid, and the Wolfson Image

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

Analysis Unit at Manchester Univer­

sity in the United Kingdom.

Flexible Production On-Line

The project was very successful, with

three Magneti Marelli plants (two in

Italy, one in France) now producing

more than 1.5 million electronic

injection systems a year. The manu­

facturing lines can produce a unit,

each containing 200 to 450 compo­

nents, every 20 seconds. The lines

can switch rapidly between 40- 60

'system families' to supply car­

makers such as Fiat, Renault, PSA

and Volkswagen . This ability to

switch between different products,

several times a day, is essential to

respond to daily customer demand.

To optimise production, the elec­

tronic control unit was developed

simultaneously with manufacturing

processes and logistics. Standardisa­

tion led to the use of only three sizes

of printed circuit boards (PCBs). while

the one set of f lexible surface mount

machines can place different groups

of components on the boards, with

rapid switching of assembly programs

before component soldering.

Production is tracked by a patented

system that involves bar coding the

PCBs with information (final product

number, date, etc.). As the PCBs move

along a production line, cameras

read the bar codes and ensure that

the correct processes are carried out.

By the end of the project, Magneti

Marelli had succeeded in reducing

time to market by 40 per cent, low­

ering labour costs by 50 per cent,

and improving quality, with the

number of rejects within the first

warranty year dropping from 2000

to 300 parts per million.

The implementation of the new

company model, the final results of

this PLANET project, offers organisa­

tions the possibility of restructuring

using a lean information approach

which offers customer satisfaction

through state of the art technology

and quality.

BOOSTING FIRE SAFETY IN VEHICLE TUNNELS

EU 499 FI RETUN

Countries around the world are

pressing ahead with ambitious plans

for tunnels to carry road , rail and

metro traffic, with Europe alone

expected to have more than 10,000

km of tunnels by the end of the

century. However, high profile fires

in tunnels have raised concerns

about safety. Apart from the safety

issues, fires can disrupt traffic links

through serious damage to tunnels

and vehicles.

To address the problem, the EUREKA

project FIRETUN was launched to

carry out experimental fire tests,

backed up by theoretical studies.

FIRETUN had partners from nine

European countries, led by the Ger­

man organisation Studiengesellschaft

Stahlanwendung E.V.

The project's goals included a better

understanding of the physics of fires

in tunnels and the effects of ventila­

tion systems, and the development

of better firefighting, escape and

rescue methods.

The researchers also considered the

effects of different tunnel structures

on fires and what action should be

taken to re-open damaged tunnels.

Ex peri mental Tests

The focus of the project was a series

of 21 fire tests, using various road

and rail vehicles and wood and liquid

fuel , in an abandoned 2.3 km long

mining tunnel in Norway. The fires

were monitored by a large number of

detectors to measure temperature,

air velocity, visibility and the concen­

trations of gases such as oxygen ,

carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide

and nitrogen oxides.

The tests reinforced the findings of

previous studies that the damage to

vehicles and tunnel linings depends

on the type of vehicles. Aluminium

and plastic roofs of vehicles were

destroyed quickly by fire, while steel

roofs resisted the heat for far longer.

Although temperatures fall quickly as

you move away from a fire in a tun­

nel, temperatures reach a typical

900° C when rail cars and buses are

burning. A heavy goods vehicle

loaded with 3 tonnes of modern fur­

niture reached more than 1,300° C.

The rail car fires released 15-20 MW

of heat, while the heavy goods vehi­

cle released more than 100 MW,

according to calculations by the

researchers. The studies also showed

that all vehicle fires in tunnels devel­

op rapidly within the first 10 to 15

minutes, raising questions about the

best temperature curves to be used

in design calculations.

Although the fittings of today's rail

cars are much more fire resistant

than those of the past, roof and wall

linings can have a large effect on the

severity of fires. Fibre glass rein­

forced, unsaturated polyester, for

example, burned more strongly than

material based on phenol resins

which proved flame resistant.

Following FIRETUN, consideration is

now being given to changes to fire

codes.

ANNUAL REPORT 19 96

EU 499

Acronym: FIRETUN

Title: Fire protection in traffic tunnels

Parti cipants : Participants from organisations in: Austfla Finland France Germany Italy Norway Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom

Main contacts: Franz·Josef Heise Studiengesellschaft Stahlanwendung E.V. Tel: +49 211 829 376 (Direct)

+49 211 8290 (Main) Fax. +49 211 829 344 Telex: 21 17 13 ESI D Alfred Haack Studiengesellschaft fur Unterird1sche Verkehrsanlagen EV (STUVA) Tel. +49 221 597 9510 Fax. +49 221 597 9550

Total cost: 6.67 MECU

Completed: January 1996

17

TAILOR MADE CHIPS

EU 579

Acronym: JAMIE

Title: Joint analogue microsystem Initiative of Europe

Participants: Austria· Austria Mikro Systeme International GmbH (AMS) I Joanneum Forschungs GmbH, Electronic Systems Design Institute I Mlkron GmbH France: Dolphin Integration Portugal: lnst1tuto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Usboa Umted Kmgdom: ERA

Main contact: Mr Alexander Gauby Mlkron GmbH Tel +43 3124 299 570 Fax +43 3124 299 330

Total cost: 10.86 MECU

Completed In: June 1996

18

0

EU 579 JAMIE

Integrated circuits - microchips - can

be made to order more quickly and

reliably using the latest manufactur­

ing processes, thanks to EUREKA

project EU 579 -JAMIE.

Custom-made chips, known as

ASICs (application-specific integrated

circuits) are designed and manufac­

tured to a customer's specification.

They can be faster, more compact

and more reliable than a device built

out of standard, off-the-shelf chips,

because they carry out highly special­

ised functions. Although they are

more expensive to make than stan­

dard chips, there is a growing

demand for ASICs in high-volume

markets such as the motor industry.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

The problem facing ASIC designers is

the speed at which chip technology

is advancing. Due to continuous

improvement in manufacturing pro­

cesses, the number of components

that can be fitted on a chip has

doubled every 18 months since the

1970s. The software needed to

design new chips must be modified

each time the process changes - a

lengthy and expensive procedure.

Technology-Independent Design

Mikron, an Austrian firm experienced

in the design of ASICs, teamed up

with JAMIE partners in Austria,

France, Portugal and the United

Kingdom to create a set of computer-

aided design tools that do not

depend on the technology that will be

used to make the chips. As a result,

designs can be implemented rapidly

using the most modern manufactur­

ing methods. Mikron are using the

new package to design ASICs for

their customers, while other partners

are marketing individual tools (such

as SMASH™, Dolphin's 'mixed mode

simulator') developed during the

project

New microchip designs that have

come out of JAMIE include 1ST's

analogue-to-digital converters

(which change varying electrical sig­

nals into digital pulses) and a new

kind of microprocessor devised by

Joanneum Research.

But the most promising product is

the 'universal sensor interface chip',

designed by Mikron, manufactured by

Austrian partner AMS and marketed

by British partner ERA This versatile

device is designed to receive signals

from many different types of sensors

and process them using its own micro­

processor. ERA expects the chip to

have numerous applications through­

out industry and is already talking to

more than a hundred potential Euro­

pean customers.

MOBILE LABORATORY FOR SOIL ANALYSIS

EU 674 EUROENVIRON - M OBILE ANALYSIS LABORATORY

Contamination of land by industrial

processes, spillages of chemicals and

accidents is one of the biggest envi­

ronmental problems facing countries.

However, before land can be cleaned

up, the contamination must be

assessed.

It can be difficult to transfer samples

of pollutants, such as toxic materials

or volatile organic compounds

(VOCs), safely or in their original

state, to remote laboratories. It can

also take a long time. Some measure­

ments, including geo-chemical prop­

erties such as electrical conductivity

of soil, are also best done in situ.

To address these challenges, the

Advanced Mobile Analytical Labora­

tory (AMAL) project (EU 674) was

set up under the EUROENVIRON

umbrella to develop a mobile labor­

atory for on-site sampling and anal­

ysis of contaminants in waste, soil,

water and air. The laboratory was to

be used for regular environmental

policing as well as emergencies.

AMAL was coordinated by the Envi­

ronmental Institute of the European

Union's Joint Research Centre (JRC)

and involved participants from Den­

mark, Finland, Italy, Russia and the

United Kingdom.

AMAL fitted out five trucks which

could be transported to a site. Three

trucks - with organic, inorganic and

microbiological analysis equipment

respectively - are for determining

water and soil pollution, and two

trucks contain power generation and

other support equipment.

Since AMAL ended in June 1996, the

JRC has built air monitoring and

waste water treatment trucks based

on the AMAL work. The analysis

equipment has been adapted from

normal laboratory designs by fitting

shock absorbers and temperature

control systems that keep equipment

within plus or minus 2°C. It includes

a high-resolution gas chromatograph

for analysis of VOCs, liquid and

supercritical fluid chromatographs,

and detectors for organic bonded

carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulphur

and nitrogen. Trace elements are

analysed by instruments such as

atomic absorption and plasma emis­

sion spectroscopes. Conductivity and

spectroscopic detectors analyse inor­

ganic ions. Software was developed

for the interpretation of data, includ­

ing local environmental data, to

international protocols, and the

presentation of results in an easi ly

understood format. Under AMAL

the Danish Technological Institute

adapted telecommunications systems

to transfer data to a central labora­

tory by high frequency voice, digital

or fax transmissions and ultra-high

frequency digital transmissions. The

JRC will install the systems in 1997.

The mobile laboratory has proved its

worth in contracts carried out in

countries such as Germany, Greece

and Italy.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

EU 674

Acronym: EUROENVIRON -MOBILE ANALYSIS LABORATORY

Ti tle: Mobile analytical laboratory (development and evaluation)

Participants: Denmark: Danish Technological Institute (Taastrup) I Force Institute I Vandkvalitets lnstituttet (Water Quality Institute) European Union: Joint Research Centre. Environmental Institute Fmland: Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTD Chemical Laboratory Italy: Centro lnformazione Studi ed Esperienze S.P.A. (CISE) I ISMES S.P.A. Russia: Analytec (Institute of Applied Geophysics) United Kingdom: V.G . Elemental/ V.G. Masslab

Mai n contact: Dr Sergio Facchetti Environmental Institute Joint Research Centre Tel: +39 332 78 95 88 (Direct)

+39 332 78 91 11 (Main) Fax: +39 332 78 93 28

Total cost: 5.67 MECU

Completed: June 1996

19

0

NEW FERMENTATIONS FOR BETTER BEER

EU 881

Acronym: EUROAGRI-lACTIC FERM

Tit le: The immobilisation of lactic acid bacteria

Partici pants: Netherlandr;: Bavaria B. V. Finland: Cultor Limited

Main contact: lng. Wim Swinkels Bavaria B.V. Tel: +31 499 42 81 11 Fax: +31 499 42 82 69

Total Cost: 0.66 MECU

Completed In: October 1994

20

EU 881 EURO AGRI -LACTIC FERM

The LACTIC FERM project showed

how modern breweries can remain

in harmony with Germany's ancient

beer purity law, benefitting both

brewers and drinkers.

Modern brewing is a scientific affair

in which little is left to chance. Acid­

ity, for instance, is important to the

enzymes that produce fermentable

sugars from the malt, so to ensure the

best conditions brewers often acidify

the 'mash' by adding lactic acid.

According to the German purity law

the lactic acid must be made from

malt in the brewery itself. This 'lactic

fermentation' is normally done in

batches, but the size and cost of the

tanks needed to do this is a problem

for many breweries. What the brew­

eries really wanted was a continuous

process for making lactic acid .

lmmobi l isi ng Bacte ria

Bavaria BV is a Dutch brewer that

illustrates nicely how tradition can

work alongside technology. Though

the company has been run by the

same family for seven generations,

this is no cottage industry: Bavaria

BV is the Netherlands' second-largest

brewer.

A NNU A L REP O RT 1 9 96

The company also has 60% of the

Dutch market for alcohol-free beer, a

product that depends particularly on

the use of lactic acid . They wanted

to be able to export alcohol-free

beer to Germany and decided to

develop a continuous process for

lactic acid .

The main challenge was to take the

bacteria used for lactic fermentations

and 'immobilise' them by attaching

them to a rigid support. The company

already had experience in immobilis­

ing yeast cells, and knew that this

technology would yield a process

with the compactness and controlla­

bility required to integrate success­

fully with the rest of the brewery.

Bavaria BV enlisted the help of Cui­

tor, a Finnish firm experienced in

biotechnology for food production

processes and a pioneer of immobil­

ised yeasts. Together with Prof. Dr.

Werner Bach, TU MOnchen Weihen­

stephan lnstitut fOr Technologie der

Brasseries, the partners in LACTIC

FERM designed a bio-reactor for the

lactic fermentation , selected a suit­

able strain of Lactobacillus and per­

suaded it to grow on a rigid support.

The resulting process is compact,

controllable and an economic route

to lactic acid.

Since the end of the project the new

process has been working very suc­

cessfully, says lng. Wim Swinkels of

Bavaria. Although other brewers in

Europe and the USA have studied

Bavaria's research with interest they

have not so far applied to license

the process - but Mr Swinkels is

confident that this is because they

are developing their own versions.

The new lactic acid process is ideal

for alcohol-free beer but has also

proved valuable for conventional

beers. Bavaria is now extending the

technology to develop new non­

alcoholic drinks based on lactic fer­

mentations.

For Bavaria, the project was a success,

both technically and commercially.

The Dutch brewer has improved his

position on the European market

and the project has given him better

access to the · German market.

Bavaria particularly appreciated the

help they received from the EUREKA

network and the EUROAGRI

umbrella.

DEGRADAB LE FABRIC IS A W INNER

EU 963 DEPOSATM

The soft fabric used to line dispos­

able nappies may be gentle on

babies' bottoms but it is not so good

for the environment. Made mainly

from a web of polypropylene fibre,

this 'non-woven ' fabric does not

readily decompose. Apart from dump­

ing them in land-fill sites, the only

practicable way of ridding the world

of used nappies is by incineration.

Companies from France and Finland,

collaborating in EU 963, have

invented a non-woven fabric that is

purpose-made to decompose. It is

made from polylactide fibre, a poly­

mer previously confined to special­

ised uses such as surgical sutures.

The partners saw that it was an ideal

material for environmentally-friendly

fabrics . Polylactide is based on

renewable resources such as cereals

or sugars and is fully degradable and

compostable, being broken down to

carbon dioxide and water by the

action of moisture and micro-organ­

isms in the environment.

Finnish company Neste Oy first

created a polylactide which could be

spun into fine fibres. Fiberweb

France, a leading producer of non­

woven materials, then developed

the technology to make the fibres

into a non-woven fabric known as

DeposarM

M any Applications

Fiberweb are now testing three

kinds of product: DeposarM -lined

nappies and other personal hygiene

products which can be composted

rather than dumped or burned,

DeposaTM mulching to cover the

ground around plants to keep down

weeds, and DeposaTM filters, for

gases and liquids. which will find

uses throughout industry.

The third partner, Vetoquinol, is

working on a new way to administer

slow-release drugs to cattle.

The drug is held in a small DeposarM

sachet, about the size of a tea bag,

which is fed to the cow and lodges

in the first of the animal's four stom­

achs. There the drug is slowly

released over three to four months

before the bag is digested.

Interest in DeposaTM is so intense

that Neste Oy is building a new

polylactide plant to cope with the

demand. Fiberweb France expects

the world market for the polymer

and the fabric to rocket as more

applications are found . Although a

similar polymer is now being made

in Japan, this EUREKA project has

ensured that European companies

have a strong lead in this new tech ­

nology.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

EU 963

Acronym: DEPOSAl"

Title: Degradable polymers for spun-laid applications

Partici pants: finland: Neste Oy Corporation France: Flberweb France I VetoqUinol SA

Main contact: Dr Phtltppe Ehret Fiberweb France Tel: +33 3 89 72 47 03 Fax: +33 3 89 72 47 04

Total cost 5.00 MECU

Completed In: May 1996

21

0 ---

A QUIETER WAY TO HANDLE THE REFUSE

EU 1086

Acronym: COMPACAR

Title: Electncal compactor recollector for d1fficult access areas

Partici pants: Spam: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas I lveco-Pegaso Switzerland: lveco Motorenforschung AG

Mai n contact: Mr Alfonso Garcia Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas Tel: +34 1 359 5400 Fax: +34 1 345 0358

Total cost: 1.17 MECU

Completed In: December 1996

0

22

EU 1086 COM PACAR

If the noise of city traffic is a prob­

lem during the day it can be doubly

bad at night - the time when diesel­

powered urban refuse collection

trucks traditionally go about their

business. An electric-powered truck

that could cruise the streets quietly

would help everyone sleep more

peacefully, as well as reduce air pol­

lution.

The COMPACAR project has devel­

oped a prototype refuse collection

vehicle that can run on electricity in

city centres, with a diesel engine to

recharge its batteries during the

daytime. Like most 'hybrid vehicles'

- which use both electric motors and

internal combustion engines -

COMPACAR also relies on supple­

mentary charging using electricity

from the mains.

The prototype is currently being

tested and the project partners

expect to have a commercial version

available soon, providing an effec­

tive, energy efficient and environ­

mental alternative to collecting waste

in city centres.

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

Reducing W eight,

Conserving Power

As a result of the limitations of exist­

ing batteries, hybrid vehicles are cur­

rently the only practical form of

electric propulsion for most applica­

tions. Other technologies, such as

bimodal and pure electric, impose

limits on the vehicle's automony.

Even with a diesel backup, however,

the COMPACAR designers have had

to use some clever design techniques

to keep the trucks' weight and power

consumption down to acceptable

levels.

The project has brought together

three vehicle manufacturers:

Fomento de Construcciones y Con­

tratas (FCC), a Spanish firm special­

ising in high-technology refuse col­

lection trucks and a second Spanish

company, lveco-Pegaso, as well as

Swiss truck and diesel engine manu­

facturer lveco Motorenforschung.

The 7-tonne prototype uses the latest

type of batteries, but the amount of

energy available remains a serious

limitation . It has been necessary to

redesign the bin emptying and com-

paction systems so that they use less

energy than on conventional

vehicles. This has also allowed the

engineers to make the machinery

quieter. One of the challenges with

all hybrid vehicles is to define the

driving conditions under which they

operate. If the vehicle spends too

much time in the city centre, with

no opportunity to run its diesel

engine, the batteries will go flat.

At the moment few hybrids can fully

recharge their batteries during the

non-electric parts of their duty cycle,

especially if, like COMPACAR, their

duty cycles are variable in length.

Optimising the route taken by the

vehicle in its tour of the city has

been yet another way the partners

have reduced the power required.

AWARD-WINNING PRE-PROCESSOR CLEANS UP DIGITAL TV

- • "irii ii iieii iie _ ~~ -rr i i e _ eiiiie -

~ ~ s ....

EU 1245 PROMPEG

When digital television arrives in

Europe, the pictures will be transmit­

ted cleanly and efficiently thanks to

British and German engineers collab­

orating in this project.

Digital TV cameras convert the pic­

ture into a series of numbers which

are transmitted from the studio as a

stream of binary digits or 'bits'.

The channels through which the pic­

ture is sent, whether terrestrial trans­

mitters, satellites, conventional cable

or optical fibre, can only cope with a

certain maximum flow of bits. If the

channel capacity is too narrow at any

point between the studio and the

receiving set, good-quality pictures

cannot be transmitted.

One way around this problem is to

'compress' the picture before trans­

mission so that narrower, and less

expensive, channels can be used.

- -

This is done by transmitting only

those parts of the picture that change

from frame to frame and then recon­

structing the full picture in the receiv­

ing TV set. Standards for compress­

ing pictures have been agreed inter­

nationally.

Removin g no ise

However, compression devices can­

not tell the difference between real

moving objects, such as a football

kicked across a field, and spurious

features such as noise and film grain .

If these artifacts could be removed

before compression, not only would

the final picture be cleaner but even

narrower channels could be used.

The partners in EU 1245 - a leading

broadcaster, a manufacturer of studio

equipment and two specialists in

television technology - discovered

how to remove noise from a TV pic­

ture before it is compressed, and so

make the best use of the available

transmission channels.

Snell and Wilcox Ltd, the project

managers, have already marketed a

product arising directly from the

EUREKA work. Launched in April

1996, PREFIX has already won sev­

eral industry awards, including the

EC's prestigious European IT Prize.

Following on from a project funded

under the EC's RACE programme,

EU 1245 PROMPEG clearly demon­

strates how EUREKA support can

help bring EC funded research to the

market place. Knowledge gained in

PROMPEG is now being fed into

ACTS-ATLANTIC, a large EC-funded

project to develop a complete dem­

onstration system for the transmis­

sion and reception of digital TV pic­

tures.

ANNUAL REPORT 19 9 6

EU 1245

Acronym: PROMPEG

Tit le: Pre· and post-processing with motion compensation for MPEG (Motion Picture Engineenng Group) dig•tal coding

Participants: Germany Broadcast Television Systems GmbH United Kingdom BBC R&D department I Electrocraft Laboratories Ltd I Snell & Wilcox Ltd

Main contact: Mr Colin Smith Snell & Wilcox Ltd Tel : +441730 821188 Fax: +44 1730 821199

Total cost: 6.50 MECU

Completed in: March 1996

23

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NATIONAL PROJECT COORDINATOR ADDRESSES

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AUSTRIA Mr Herwig Renner WKO Austian Federal Economic Chamber Department for International Research & Technology Cooperation Wiedner Haupstrasse 63 A- 1045 WIEN Tel: +43 1 50105 (3156) Fax: +43 1 50206 (Ext 253)

BELGIUM Mr Robert Verbruggen Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs Rue de Ia Science 8 B - 1000 Bruxelles Tel : +32 2 238 34 18 Fax: +32 2 230 59 12

CZECH REPUBLIC Dr Svatopluk Halada Dept of Int. Cooperation in the Field of Science and Technology Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Karmelitska 7 CZ - 118 12 Prague 1 Tel : +420 2 5193 512 Fax: +420 2 5193 790

DENMARK Mr Peter Larsen Danish Agency for Development of Trade and Industry Tagensvej 137 DK - 2200 COPENHAGEN N Tel: +45 35 86 83 49 Fax: +45 35 86 81 61

EUROPEAN UNION Mr Nicholas Newman CE - DG XII IB1 - SDME 1132 Rue de Ia Loi 200 B - 1049 Brussels Tel : +32 2 295 59 761296 32 40 Fax: +32 2 296 42 89

Dr Michel Progent CCE DG XIII - BU 9 31133 Rue de Ia Loi 200 B - 1049 Brussels Tel : +32 2 296 88 64 Fax: +32 2 296 89 70

Mr Yves Dumont DG Ill I A5- SC 15 4188 Rue de Ia Loi 200 B - 1049 Brussels Tel: Tel: +32 2 299 03 59 Fax: Fax: +32 2 296 88 67

FINLAND Dr Martti Af Heurlin TEKES Technology Development Centre PO Box 69 Malminkatu 34 FIN- 00101 HELSINKI Tel: +358 10521 5800 Fax: +358 10521 5907

FRANCE Mr Gilbert Nicolaon French EUREKA Secretariat 43 Rue de Caumartin F - 75436 PARIS Cedex 09 Tel : +33 1 40 17 85 86 I 85 87 Fax: +33 1 47 42 32 40

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

GERMANY Mr Erich Niermann Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) Heinemannstrasse 2 D- 53175 BONN Tel: +49 228 57 31 64 Fax: +49 228 57 36 04

GREECE Prof Dionyssios Monopolis Ministry of Ind. Energy and Technology General Secretariat for Research and Technology 14 - 18 Messogion Ave (Abelokipi) PO Box 14631 GR- 11510 ATHENS Tel : +30 1 69 11 122 ext 333 Fax: +30 1 77 13 810

HUNGARY Mr Pal Koncz Hungarian EUREKA Office National Committee for Technological Development (OMFB) Szervita ter 8 H - 1052 BUDAPEST Tel : +36 1 117 5782 I 5900 Fax: +36 1 117 54 36

ICELAND Mr Snrebjiirn Kristjansson The Icelandic Research Council Laugavegi 13 IS - 101 Reykjavik Tel : +354 562 13 20 Fax : +354 552 98 14

IRELAND Mr Ronan Breslin FORBAIRT Irish Science and Technology Agency Ballymun Road Glasnevin IRL - DUBLIN 9 Tel: +353 1 808 27 07 Fax: +353 1 837 01 78

ITALY Mr Vittorio De Crescenzo ENEA Direzione Relazioni lnternazionali Lungotevere Thaon di Revel 76 I- 00196 ROMA Tel: +39 6 36 27 27 80 Fax: +39 6 36 27 24 27

LUXEMBOURG Mr Marco Walentiny M inistere de I'Economie 19-21 Boulevard Royal L - 2914 LUXEMBOURG Tel: +352 478 41 62 Fax: +352 418 14

NETHERLANDS Ms Frederique Heering Netherlands EUREKA Secretariat CIO Senter Grote Marktstraat 43 PO Box 30732 NL - 2500 GS DEN HAAG Tel: +31 70 36 10 387 Fax: +31 70 36 10 355

NORWAY Ms Sissel 0verlie The Research Council of Norway Stensberggaten 26 PO Box 2700 St Hanshaugen N- 0131 OSLO Tel: +47 22 03 73 17 Fax: +47 22 03 73 07

POLAND Mr Jerzy Tokarski State Committee for Scientific Research (Komitet Badan Naukowych) KBN ul. Wsp61na 113 PL - 00921 Warsaw 53 Tel : +48 22 628 14 06 Fax: +48 22 628 35 34

PORTUGAL Mr Jose de Assis Junta Nacional de lnvestigacao Cientifica e Tecnologica (JNICT) Av D Carlos I, 126- 7o P - 1200 LISBOA Tel: +351 1 396 64 10 Fax: +351 1 60 74 81

PORTUGAL Eng Angela Reis lnstituto Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial (INETI) Pra<;a Principe Real 19 P - 1200 LISBOA Tel: +351 1 347 45 08 Fax: +351 1 342 33 62

RUSSIA Mr Nickolai Popov Department of International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Ministry of Science and Technology Policy of the Russian Federation 11 Tverskaya str RUS- 103905 Moscow Tel : +7 095 229 69 29 Fax: +7 095 229 58 75

SLOVENIA Mr Albin Babic Ministry of Science and Technology Slovenska 50 SLO - 1000 Ljubljana Tel: +386 61 13 11 107 Fax: +386 61 302 951 I 13 24 140

SPAIN Mr Jose Jimenez Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial (CDTI) Edificio Cuzco IV Paseo de Ia Castellana 141, 12° E - 28046 MADRID Tel : +34 1 581 55 89 Fax: +34 1 581 55 84

l

SWEDEN Mr Erik von Bahr Swedish National Board for Industrial Development (NUTEK) S- 117 86 STOCKHOLM Tel: +46 8 681 94 37 Fax: +46 8 681 95 16

SWITZERLAND Dr Peter Kuentz Swiss EUREKA Office Commission for Technology and Innovation Effingerstrasse 27 CH - 3003 BERN Tel: +41 31 322 21 46 Fax: +41 31 324 96 58

TURKEY Dr Cemil Arikan TUBITAK - TIDEB Atatork Bulvari No 221 Kavaklidere TR - 06100 ANKARA Tel: +90 312 467 76 49 Fax: +90 312 427 43 05

UNITED KINGDOM Mr Howard Finch EUREKA Office (DTI) 3rd Floor Buckingham Palace Road 151 GB- LONDON SW1W 9SS Tel: +44 171 215 1602 Fax: +44 171 215 1700

EUREKA Secretariat 19 H Avenue des Arts Boite 5 B - 1 000 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32 2 229 22 40 Fax: +32 2 218 79 06

25 a o

NATIONAL INFORMATION POINT ADDRESSES

26

Albania Dr Vladimir Nika Ministry of Higher Education and Research Directorate or Scientific Research Bulevardi "Zhan d'Ark" Nr 2 AL- TIRANA Tel: +355 42 28371. Fax: +355 42 279 75

Bulgaria Mr Dragomir Nedeltchev Council of Ministers I Dondoukov Blvd. BG- 1000 SOFIA Tel : +359 2 887 20 94 Fax: +359 2 87 67 49

Estonia Mrs Kitty Kubo Ministry of Economic Affairs Harju 11 EW - EE 0001 TALLINN Tel: +372 6 256 392 Fax: +372 6 313 660

ANNUAL REPORT 1996

Latvia Mr Ewgenij Kowaltschuk Bureau of Information and Consulting (BIK) Aiskraukles 21-328 LV- 1006 RIGA Tel: +371 2 558 744 Fax: +371 73 100 27

Lithuania Dr Vladislovas Guoga Science Council of Lithuania Gedimino pr. 3 LT- 2600 VILNIUS Tel : +370 2 614 010 Fax: +370 2 618 535

Romania Mr Mircea Sbarna Office for European Integration in R&D Programmes Ministry of Research & Technology 21-25 Mendeleev Street RO- 70168 BUCURESTI Tel: +401 210 92 75 Fax: +401 210 92 75

Slovakia Dr Martin Kedro Centre for Advancement, Science and Technology Stare grunty 52 SK - 842 44 BRATISLAVA Tel : +427 720 337 Fax: 427 720 308

Ukraine Mr Yury Medvedev JSC " IPBA " Institute 10/14 Radischeva Str. UKR- Kyiv 252124 Tel: +38 044 483 98 08 Fax: +38 044 488 02 57

EUREKA PUBLICATIONS

The EUREKA Secretariat produces a wide range of publi ­

cations which explain the activities of both the EUREKA

Initiative and the individual projects and which offer advice

on how to manage an R&D project in an efficient way. Unless otherwise stated , all publications are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

EUREKA News

A newsletter published 4 times a year to report on the activities of EUREKA projects, EUREKA events, technology

trends and to serve as a channel for a wide-ranging exchange of views on the EUREKA experience.

Together for the Future A brochure containing a short general description of the EUREKA Initiative.

Vademecum

A brochure containing the basic EUREKA documents, a

guide to EUREKA project participation and other useful information on the EUREKA network.

The Role and Medium Term Future of EUREKA. An Assessment and Recommendations

A report of an Expert Group chaired by E. Davignon

advising on the role and medium term future of EUREKA

in the overall European research and industrial context, on

the basis of the needs of European industry and research, technological and market trends, etc. (English)

EUREKA Medium Term Plan 1996 - 2000

EUREKA's third Medium Term Plan , addressing key issues

and challenges facing EUREKA for the period 1996 to 2000. (English)

Evaluation Report 1995

Report on the findings of an evaluation of EUREKA's finished projects. (English)

EUREKA Annual Impact Report 1996

A report presenting the results of a new process for assessing EUREKA participation and projects in a system­atic and continuous way. (English)

The EUREKA Toolbox

A set of 11 booklets developed to guide present and

future EUREKA project participants in their effort to carry

out a EUREKA project in an efficient and successfu l way. (All guides in English on ly)

• The Toolbox! An overview.

A short description of all booklets in the Toolbox.

• A Practical Guide to R&D in Europe.

A guide for scientists and industrialists preparing R&D

cooperation projects as an aid to identifying the most appropriate framework within the European research environment.

• Cross-Border Cooperation. Managing Cooperative Ventures in Industrial R&D.

A guide describing how to avoid the potential pitfalls

of cooperative ventures through strategic and opera­tional management actions.

• Checklist for the Preparation and Execution of a EUREKA project

A guide for potential project partners, describing the

items to be treated in setting up a high quality proJect.

• Guide for the Smaller Enterprise

A guide offering advice to small or medium sized enter­

prises wanting to enter or start a EUREKA project.

• Legal Forms of Collaboration

A guide providing information on a number of regularly used legal forms. It describes their drawbacks and

advantages and will help project partners to find a

better adapted form than the consortium agreement, especially when exploitation comes in sight.

• Guidelines for the Protection of Technological Information

A guide providing the steps to be taken by project partners for the protection of intellectual property and

technological information in a EUREKA project.

• Guide to Standardisation

A guide describing links between standardisation and

R&D, suggesting a basis for a standardisation strategy in R&D and outlining the steps involved in developing

such a strategy.

• Information Guide on Environmental Issues

A guide presenting the environmental aspects of partic­ular interest for industry or researchers engaged in the definition of a new R&D project within the EUREKA

framework.

• Key Factors for Success A guide interpreting some of the lessons from existing

management literature, applying these on the collabo­rative research in the EUREKA framework. Seven key

factors for success are identified. The booklet also con­tains a CD-ROM.

• Good Practice in R&D Collaboration Management - a EUREKA Guide

A guide drawing on the experience of EUREKA partici­pants.

Information on EUREKA and its projects can now be accessed via the Internet:

http:/ /www.eureka.be/

ANNU A L REPORT 1996

27